Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“Because you have rejected this message,
relied on oppression
and depended on deceit,
this sin will become for you
like a high wall, cracked and bulging,
that collapses suddenly, in an instant.
It will break in pieces like pottery,
shattered so mercilessly
that among its pieces not a fragment will be found
for taking coals from a hearth
or scooping water out of a cistern.”
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:
“In repentance and rest is your salvation,
in quietness and trust is your strength,
but you would have none of it.
- Isaiah 30:12-15
Why then have these people turned away?
Why does Jerusalem always turn away?
They cling to deceit;
they refuse to return.
I have listened attentively,
but they do not say what is right.
None of them repent of their wickedness,
saying, “What have I done?”
Each pursues their own course
like a horse charging into battle.
- Jeremiah 8:5-6
The soothing tongue is a tree of life,
but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
- Proverbs 15:4
The Boilerplate
My wife took a Bible Study in 2011. (There was a note in the study guide that identified September 2 and that the study was being held on Friday mornings, or I might not have ever figured out what year.) My wife had become a Christian in 2000. She greatly respected the pastor’s wife who was also a pastor. The pastor’s wife spent time as the interim associate pastor, and this Bible study might have been during that time.
My wife passed away in March 2023, and I found this study guide as I was cleaning up. It is a Beth Moore study guide. Most of the questions are close-ended, mostly fill-in-the-blank. But my wife was eager to learn. She wrote her thoughts in the margins, sometimes encouraged to do so by Beth Moore. I will use her comments as I did once before, calling this a “with a little help” series in that my wife contributes. There is more to follow in that she wrote Scriptures and prayers in a notebook. Probably what she found in her personal Bible study, giving her encouragement through the long illness that took her life.
So, instead of writing about a topic at random, I am going to write on my wife’s comments in the Study Guide. It may follow the study guide topics, but it may not.
Discussion on this topic
What are four characteristics of rebellion?
“Doesn’t act like a child of God.
“Isn’t willing to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
“Prefers pleasant illusions over the truth.
“Relies on oppression.”
- My wife’s response
The next to the last answer below lists two more. I have a bit of an idea who my wife was thinking of at the time. And it is still an issue. My wife could be very observant and very intuitive when dealing with others, but then she had her blind spots. Dealing with rebellion, you sometimes need blind spots to maintain sanity, but when it came to prayer, the focus of that blind spot becomes very real.
What does Jeremiah 8:5-6 have to say about deceit?
“People refuse to listen to what God says is right.”
- My wife’s response
What does Proverbs 15:4 have to say about deceit?
“Giving false testimony – gossip.”
- My wife’s response
My wife made a comment about Isaiah 30:15.
“Simplify Your Life.”
- My wife’s response
In reading these Scriptures, what are the six characteristics of rebellion?
“Doesn’t act like a child of God.
“Isn’t willing to listen to the Lord’s instruction.
“Prefers pleasant illusions over the truth.
“Relies on oppression.
“Depends on deceit.
“Runs from real answers.”
- My wife’s response
What happens if we continue in rebellion?
“We will become like a high wall, cracked and bulging that collapses in an instant and will break into a million pieces.”
- My wife’s response
This was a short lesson, but when it comes to rebellion and you know someone in rebellion, it is hard to talk about.
My heart goes out to all who are living this nightmare reality, but when we get to Heaven, God will be there to wipe away each tear.
Soli Deo Gloria. Only to God be the Glory
Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley 
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